Retaining Walls in Landscaping
- 1). Place a paver stone on the ground at each end of the wall. Mark the outline of the wall by driving stakes into the ground or spray painting the ground. Add a buffer of 3 inches on each side of the pavers when marking the line.
- 2). Dig a trench along the line that is 12 inches deep and 6 inches wider than the pavers. If the pavers are 6 inches wide, the trench must be 12 inches wide. Flatten the soil at the bottom of the trench and compact it by tamping it.
- 3). Pour a layer of crushed limestone into the trench until it's about 4 inches deep. Rake the limestone smooth and tamp it down. Pour two more inches of limestone into the trench and tamp it down.
- 4). Place the first paver on top of the limestone in one end of the trench. Place a carpenter's level across the top, and tap the paver down with a rubber mallet to even it out if necessary.
- 5). Set the second paver stone into the trench next to the first stone. Place the level across the two stones, and tap the second stone to make it even with the first stone.
- 6). Continue laying the first course of stones using this method until it's complete.
- 7). Install a drainage system. Dig a smaller trench into the ground behind the first trench, and slope it towards the area you where you want the water to drain. Use a slope of about 1 inch for every 100 feet of wall.
- 8). Cover the bare soil in the trench with landscaping fabric to prevent soil from clogging the drain tile.
- 9). Pour an inch of drainage aggregate on top of the landscape fabric over the drainage trench.
- 10
Place the drain tile on top of the drainage trench. This is plastic pipe that is perforated or has pre-drilled holes that allows water to flow through. - 11
Build the second course of paver stones on top of the first course. Cut a paver stone in half with a wet saw or hammer and chisel, and use that as the first stone in the second course so the pavers in the second course are staggered from the pavers in the first course. Run a thick bead of masonry adhesive across the top of the pavers in the first course in a zig-zag pattern, and position the pavers in the second course so they're set back about 3/4-inch from the pavers in the first course. - 12
Install the third course of pavers, using the same method as the second course. Stagger the third course of pavers from the second course. - 13
Dig into the hill behind the wall so the edge of the hill is about 8 inches behind the back of the pavers. - 14
Cover the bare soil behind the wall with landscaping fabric. - 15
Pour drainage aggregate into the space between the wall and the landscaping fabric. Tamp the drainage aggregate down to compact it. - 16
Continue building the wall until you hit three feet high or your desired height, whichever is greater. If you want a taller wall, build a second wall slightly set back from the first wall. - 17
Fill the gap between the wall and the hill with drainage aggregate and tamp it down. Backfill the top of the trench with soil to cover the aggregate.
Source...